I recalled the following memory vividly while I was writing
up yesterday’s blog so I thought I would pull this one out of the archives for
re-publishing. During the fall of
2000 I had finished teaching English in Osaka, and traveled for about a month
prior to returning to the States.
My travels first took me to Thailand, where I travelled by myself, then
to Australia, where I stayed with friends, and then to Vietnam where I met with
some friends for that leg of the trip.
When we left Vietnam, I was on a separate flight that took me back to
Osaka by way of Bangkok, Thailand.
Upon landing in Bangkok, my flight crash-landed.
Fortunately, it was not the type of crash where the plane
broke apart, or anyone was badly hurt, but it was scarier than hell. I learned from this experience that if I fly
internationally, to always keep my passport with me at all times. Not just in the overhead, but WITH
me. When you leave the plane in an
emergency you are not supposed to take anything with you. And, not all countries may treat passengers
who crash-land with as much care as the US might. When my plane ‘landed’, we were stuck out in the field
for a long while before a bus finally came to get us to take us to the airport. Then, we had to stand in the customs
line just like anyone else and we had to wait for our bags to be unloaded,
which was a particular challenge, as the plane was on its
nose. We just had to wait inside
the airport until the bags came.
Fortunately I had taken my backpack and my passport with me when I left the plane, so I could get
through customs without issue.
There was no special treatment, nor apologies from the airline. I had called home to my parents,
concerned that they might see this incident on TV and worry about me, but it
was not that newsworthy. It was
only my call that really scared them.
And, now, here’s what I wrote back in 2000 in an email back
to my friends and family:
Mon. November 27, 2000:
…
I was writing in my travel diary on the plane, and I wrote
the following to quote: “Having no
problems with flights except for waiting. (knock on wood, not home yet!)”
Not 45 minutes later, my plane crash-landed! I’m not kidding at all – this was the
scariest experience of my life. We
hit the runway hard and bounced all over, we stopped bouncing and shaking but
then I saw what looked like flames and smoke coming from the side of the
plane. When the plane finally came
to a halt the lights went dead and a pilot came running out with a flashlight.
“Is everyone alright??” he yelled,
“Stay in your seats!!!”
I was shaking like a leaf and frantically searching for my
passport (it had flown across the aisle during the landing). [It turns out the passport had landed in someone's lap across the aisle and he was able to pass it back to me] I then heard the back doors open and
the chutes inflate.
“Everybody get of the plane! Go, go, go!!”
People were panicking and pushing but not excessively so,
and when I got to the back of the plane they said, “go right!”
I turned right, looked out the door at about a 30 feet drop,
and I was scared. I saw the chute
[which was actually dark grey, not yellow as the pictures always show, and
blended into the tarmac at night] and realized I had no choice but to
jump, I slid down quickly and was
caught at the bottom and then went into the field next to the runway. [They really mean it when they tell you
to lift up your arms and point them to the sky if you ever come down those
emergency chutes. I had a small
backpack in my arms and did not do this and came away with some long-lasting
elbow burns.] I looked back to see what really happened: the front landing gear
had collapsed and we had come to a halt by skidding in on the bottom of the
front of the plane and the back wheels.
The smoke and flames (sparks) I had seen were a result of the plane’s
friction on the runway.
This was the day after Thanksgiving, and let me tell you, I
am Thankful. As far as I know, no
one was inured in the landing, and as for me, I left with all my luggage
intact. (an hour and half later).
I didn’t enjoy my last flight from Bangkok to Osaka and really sweated the landing. [This
was the morning after the bad landing experience and I physically started to
tear up and cry when we began to descend] But, I made it home safely and Maja and
George were there to meet me at the airport. I only have one flight left and that’s to San Francisco on
Dec. 5 and trust me, I will be SO happy when I land there.
To this day my palms sweat each time I land, even though I
try to tell myself I’m not scared anymore. I also feel like since I had that one horrific flying
experience then it should never happen to me again. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
 |
| This was from my scrapbook of the trip and the only picture I could capture while in the field. |
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